Plain-language explanations of key terms — for engineers and project managers, not lawyers.
Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-Conseils — the International Federation of Consulting Engineers. FIDIC publishes a suite of standard form construction contracts that are widely used on international projects, particularly those financed by multilateral development banks. The main FIDIC contracts are the Red Book (construction of employer-designed works), Yellow Book (plant and design-build), Silver Book (EPC/turnkey), Green Book (short form), and Gold Book (design-build-operate). FIDIC contracts were last comprehensively updated in 2017.
The amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying a successor activity (free float) or the overall project completion date (total float). The question of who "owns" float is frequently disputed: contractors argue that float is their resource, earned by efficient planning, while employers argue that it belongs to the project. The answer depends on the contract and the facts. In most jurisdictions, programme float reduces the contractor's entitlement to an extension of time.
An event outside the control of both parties that was unforeseeable, unavoidable, and makes performance impossible. Under FIDIC Sub-Clause 19.1 (2017 edition: 18.1), force majeure events include war, natural catastrophes, and certain other exceptional events. A party affected by force majeure is excused from performing its obligations to the extent affected, and the contractor may be entitled to an extension of time. Force majeure is a narrow concept and should not be confused with general difficulty or commercial hardship.
An approach to project development where significant investment is made in defining scope, planning, and risk identification before a project proceeds to contract award and construction. Well-defined front-end loading is associated with better project outcomes: fewer variations, fewer disputes, and better cost and schedule performance. Poor front-end loading is one of the most common root causes of construction disputes.